


AU^4

by djinmer4



Series: Belasco [2]
Category: Earth X (Marvel Comics)
Genre: BelascoxKitty Pryde, F/M, Mind Manipulation, Oral Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2019-09-19 21:48:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17009817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/djinmer4/pseuds/djinmer4
Summary: This also was part of an idea I had. In the 9997 universe, when Belasco realizes that he was (is) Kurt Wagner, Kurt’s personality comes out on top and he tries to redeem himself. What if it had gone the other way around? So this is an AU of the Belasco!verse that @mikeellee and I are writing, which is an AU of Earth X, which is an AU of canon 616 universe.





	1. Chapter 1

Belasco was contemplating the most recent news from the material plane went he felt the telltale change in pressure from a teleport. Irritated, he cast his senses out, seeking who would dare trespass in his domain. To his surprise, he didn’t feel any sort of magic power at all, not even the slippery feeling from a shielded magic user. Not one of the other Lords of Limbo challenging him then, nor a sorcerer from the material plane. Had some lost innocent wandered in by accident again? Those were always fun. Sometimes he even let them go, after a very long time.

Rising to his feet, he began to search his halls. To his surprise, there was no evidence of the intruder. No random bystander knocking about the corridors, no damage to any of the furnishings. A quick trip revealed nothing amiss in the library or the treasury, the two most obvious targets. Yet there was something, a fragrance in the air or a sense of being watched that warned him that the intruder is still here. “I know you’re here,” he announced to what appeared to be thin air. “Come out, child, and I’ll make this easy on you.”

Only silence. This was starting to get fun. First, he banished all the lower demons present in his estate. While he wasn’t too concerned about them being killed, either by the intruder or by his own hand, he didn’t want this person using them to escape. “Are you still there?” The feeling of being watched sharpened.

After another quick round in person, he started sectioning off the different parts of his castle. Then he vanished them, dissolving them back into the Chaos that made up Limbo, until nothing but the main parts, such as the throne room, were left. Still nothing, but now he was starting to get a sense of what direction the person was in.

Now how were they keeping away from him? Were they there, merely invisible? Several quick slashes with his ax disproved that, even if they had avoided being hit, they would not have avoided the shock wave. Were they in the air or the shadows? Changing the air to a sulfurous mix only caused a brief sensation of retreat, flooding the area with light brought no change at all. Had the person switched into another dimension? The Ruler of Limbo caused the very substance of the world to waver, but nothing popped out.

There was only one remaining possibility he could think of … but she had died decades ago. It was at that moment he felt someone grab his ankle and he started to sink into the stone floor. Then the floor solidified, shattering muscle and bone. Before he could recover, he felt something slide through his back, slipping through the ribs into his heart.

“I-I did it!” It really was her! He’d have recognized that voice anywhere! But she had been stone; how had King Britain brought her back to life? For a second, the joy in her voice made him contemplate letting her bask in her victory, letting her think she’d won for once. But no, this was an opportunity too good to be missed.

It was the work of seconds to reform himself. “Nice try,” he laughed. “But within this place, I am immune from death.”

Kitty Pryde (the same outfit, the same face, the same eyes, the same  _soul_ , oh how long has it been since he had seen her) simply gritted her teeth and adjusted her grip on her sword. “We’ll see about that.” Then she charged to attack.

Three swift blows that he deflected, falling back to give himself more room to swing. Then a strike to the left slipped past his guard, cutting a shallow wound on his bicep. He teleported behind her striking her in the back (flat side only) before she could turn around, but she simply phased to let the ax pass through her. Then she was back on the attack again.

This time he managed to lock her sword with his blade. A quick shove knocked her off her feet and she was left sprawling on the floor. Belasco raised his ax to knock her out, but by the time he had struck, Kitty had phased again. But this time, she had her arm raised, and her sword, intangible, had gone straight through his weapon and into his trachea. She gave a brief smirk to the Demon Lord then rolled away. Once she was free of the ax, she let go of the sword, which abruptly materialized while still embedded in his throat. Severed arteries spurted blood into the air, and several vertebrae shattered.

But healing took no longer than it did the first time. “Stop this foolishness girl. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

“Third time’s the charm.” He had to give her credit. Most people, even experienced swordsmen would have been tired by now. Shadowcat was ready to keep going, although he noticed that the smile on her face had been replaced with a frown. One more time, that was all she had left in her he suspected.

More thrusts, less swinging this time. Less defense as well, simply letting his blows phase through her rather than blocking or dodging. She feinted left twice, then before he could raise his weapon into position, she drove her sword forward and up- straight into his right eye.

 _Alright, that actually hurt,_ he thought as he felt the point of her blade grind against the back of his skull. Enough was enough. This time when he reformed, he didn’t give her the chance to go on the offensive again. One swift blow broke her arm and knocked her sword away from her. Rather than surrender though, she reached for a device on her waist; the ruler of Limbo recognized it as a portal maker. “You can’t leave yet!” A quick reversal, then the gadget was smashed into pieces and the X-Man was pressing her smarting arm into her chest. Now she looked worried. She started to phase into the floor, but he pulled her up with his tail, suppressing her ability.

She started to kick out at him, trying to get away. Ignoring the blows, he concentrated, then conjured a necklace from the substance of Limbo. It sat high on her throat, like a choker or a torc (or a slave collar). More importantly, it was set with several crystals that would prevent her from using her ability. Only when he was certain that she couldn’t get away he let her go.

She stayed on the ground for a moment, probably trying to phase through the floor. “What have you done?” she asked.

He went and picked up the sword she had been using. Glowing blue blade with cross supports, black grip with a skull on the pommel. “The Soul Sword! Well, now I am impressed.” He turned back to his would-be assassin. “An artificial portal maker to get you in and out, the one weapon that everyone knows can harm me, wielded by a master swordswoman who has the ability to travel through any wall or lock. This was very well thought out.” Belasco briefly considered severing the link between woman and sword then dismissed it. Instead, he encased the sword in more crystal. That should stop Kitty from being able to use it, but keeping the link would prevent anyone else from claiming it as well.

He extended his hand to the young girl on the ground. She recoiled back as if retreating from a venomous snake. Undeterred, he simply scooped her up cradling her in his one arm as if she were a doll. “Shh, it’s alright,” the villain said. “You’re doing beautifully and I’m so proud of you. But that’s enough now. It was cruel of them to make you fight me - you could never have won. It’s not your fault.”

She hit out at him, disregarding her broken arm. He ignored everything she threw at him. Finally, exhausted, she fell limp and let him carry her. It wasn’t over though. He was sure she was planning her next escape attempt.

Let her plot away. He had never thought he would ever see her again. Now that he had her back, he wasn’t going to let her go for the world.


	2. September

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSZlAltkYoc

“So why now?”  After their duel, Belasco had arranged an herbal bath for Shadowcat.  Witch hazel and comfrey for her bruises, lavender, and chamomile to keep her too relaxed to fight back.  He had relished stripping off her tattered uniform, even as she had hit back and tried to escape.  The Demon Lord had wanted to go even further … but he was going to enjoy taking his time to make her submit.  For now, he settled on helping her bathe.  Given that her right arm was still broken, she didn’t have much choice about accepting his help.

“Why now?  Don’t you want to know why me?”  It also helped that she wasn’t trained to endure interrogation.  Belasco didn’t need to torture her, sooner or later she’d give him the answers he wanted.

“No, I explained to you earlier why they would have picked you for the assassination.  What I want to know is why now.  They didn’t bother after the invasion of the Savage Land or the mess with the Vibranium.  Most of the rulers of Earth don’t care about Limbo, as long as we’re not currently invading.  So what’s changed?”

She stayed silent as he poured a basin of water over her hair, being careful not to blind her.  Belasco continued to talk.  Kitty wasn’t the type to remain quiet forever.  “No one’s invaded Earth since my last attempt to take over the Savage Land.  If Mephisto or D’Spayre or someone else was going around causing trouble, they wouldn’t bother going to me to control them.  Perhaps they are seeking the Bloodstone Amulet?”

“We don’t need any of your cursed artifacts!” She shouted, then flushed bright red, embarrassed that her enemy had so easily roused her to speak.  Belasco smirked as he passed the washcloth over her back.  This would be easier than he thought.  “No objects of power?  Then I suppose King Britain and the others must intend to replace me.  Who do they have in mind?  N’astirh?  Darkoth?  Jimaine Szardos?”  Kitty probably wouldn’t know it, but all those he named were already dead.  He was interested in seeing how much they had lied to her.

“I have no idea who any of those people are.”  When his hand dipped below the water she tried to grab the washcloth from him.  A sharp rap to her broken arm left her reeling and allowed him to continue with no interference.

“Ilyana then.  Rather unoriginal.  She keeps trying, but she’s never succeeded.  But that doesn’t answer my question.”  He soaked the cloth in more witch hazel, then began to rub it into the bruises at her wrist.  “Does this have something to do with Mar-Vell’s crusade against death?”

At that, she wrenched her arm away from him and tried to move to the far side of the bath.  Amused he let her, then when she had gotten away he warped space until she was back where she had started.  He poured more water over her head, this time making sure she was blinded for a few seconds.  She needed to learn that things would be easier if she stopped trying to get away from him.

“So Mar-Vell eliminates death and only realizes the vast amount of problems that creates afterward.  How typical of him.”  He slid the cloth over her breasts, fascinated by the shiver that passed through his prisoner.  “I take it whoever has replaced Death wants Limbo for a reason.  The new Hell, I presume?”

“Well, there’s nothing here that resembles Heaven.” She snarked back, bringing her one good arm up to cover herself.  He simply grabbed it with his tail and pulled it away, continuing to his exploratory forays.

“Oh, I could think of one thing.”  He smiled down at her.  “My dear Kätzchen, whatever could have convinced you to think you could possibly succeed in killing me?”

She hunched forward, shoulders twitching away from him.  “Don’t call me that.”

“Why not?  It’s always been my name for you.”

Copper-colored eyes rose to stare at him in horror.  “No.  No, that’s not possible.”

“I see they didn’t tell you everything.  But I can prove it.”  He leaned forward, ignoring the water soaking into his chiton.  Close enough so that he could whisper directly into her ear.  “Do you remember your first mission against the Brood?  They wanted you to take control of an unmanned observation drone.  So Storm carried us all the way to the edge of the atmosphere then I teleported you to the surface of the drone.  You phased in but didn’t have complete control of your powers, so you had to find a way to let me in from inside.”

“But it wasn’t unmanned.  There was a Brood warrior inside, but you hadn’t been trained to defend yourself yet.  So to save my life, you phased him through the wall and left him there.”

“No one knows that.  Not the Professor, not Storm, not even Kurt.”  She was babbling, confused and bewildered.  It was almost as good as fighting.  “You must be reading my mind.”

“Now, now,  _liebling_ , you know that telepathy is one of the few powers I don’t possess.  And I’ve always known.  I saw those limbs sticking out from the wall.  I saw them writhe then go still in death.  It’s one of my most cherished memories; even when you didn’t trust me, you still cared enough to kill to keep me alive.”

She continued to stare at him.  Tears welled up, then spilled from her eyes.

“Why are you crying?  Aren’t you happy to be with me?”  She said nothing, just shook her head and closed her eyes.  After a moment he continued to bathe her.

There was nothing more to be said.


	3. Black Magic

This prison was a joke.  Elegant decorations, a large, sunken bathing pool, a luxurious bed.  A giant window on every wall, balconies for every window.  A beautiful view of Magik’s mansion, just close enough to run to.  The crystal pillar with the Soul Sword embedded inside.  A marble table with a bowl of perfect apples in a multitude of colors, pale jade, blushing pink, blood red, snow white, dusky purple, and jet black.

(The last had made her laugh so hard she was almost sick.  How Biblical of Belasco, a bowl of apples right in the center of the room.  And they had been Kurt’s favorite fruit too.)

Shadowcat opened her eyes again, to be startled by Belasco’s scrutiny of her.  “How did you get in here?”

“It’s not like there’s a lock on the door,  _liebling.”_ Indeed, there were no locks, no shackles, chains or iron bars to keep her in (or to keep him out).  The tower was taunting her to try to escape.  “I’ve come here for a couple of reasons.  First, to inform you that the rescue party you were hoping for has arrived.”

She stood up so fast, her chair tipped over and fell to the floor unnoticed behind her.  “No!  I told them not to!  I never expected-”

“You might not have expected one but I did.  Surely you didn’t think  _diene freunde_  would just abandon you?”

“Not so soon.  I needed time, they knew that.  It’s been less than a week, they should have waited longer.”

“Time is fluid here in Limbo.  It’s been longer than you think.  But no matter.  I killed them all.”  She gaped at him stupidly.  Even when they’d come to rescue Yana, he hadn’t been that ruthless.  The Demon Lord had corrupted, transformed and in one case, sent one of them back through time, but he’d only killed one person.  But this time Belasco was implying that he had wiped out the entire party.  “Who- how many- why?” she whispered, trying to wrap her mind around the implications.

“Who hardly matters given that their dead now.  How many?  All but two.”  The smirk he wore morphed into a frown.  “That cowardly Magik.  She turned and ran, rather than face me,” he added  _sotto voce_.  

“As for why … I just want us to be happy.  I had to kill them.  They were trying to take you away.”

Kitty sank to her knees.  She’d never wanted this.  The X-Woman tried to think beyond her grief.  The Ruler of Limbo was right.  It didn’t matter who he had killed.  All Shadowcat had to do was concentrate on killing Belasco, to make sure her friends’ sacrifices weren’t in vain.  She’d mourn them, whoever they were after the mission had been completed.

“Ah, but we haven’t gotten to the second reason yet.  I’ve brought you a pet!”

The younger woman tried to ignore him, but the Demon Lord wasn’t going to have that.  He made his way over to where she was kneeling on the ground.  Then he conjured the ‘pet’ right in front of her.

It was a large, winged lizard, nearly as long as she was tall.  Most of it was covered in shiny, black scales, but there were vivid purple highlights scattered about its face and it’s claws and eyes were the same color.  Most striking, however, were the large wings that rose from it’s back; soft, lacy membranes in shades of lavender fading into white.  They looked far too delicate to support the creature’s weight, but a flap of those limbs had the lizard up on top of Kitty’s head.  For a second she was too entranced by the creature’s beauty to even be angry at Belasco.  “It’s beautiful.  And reminds me of Lockheed.”

“It should.  That  _is_  Lockheed.”

“What?  Impossible!”  She examined the lizard more thoroughly.  Lockheed had been a duller purple than this, not this black and lavender fairy tale creature.  Moreover, he had been thick and rounded, like a miniature Western dragon, and small enough to fit on her shoulder.  This demon (everything in Limbo was demonic until proved otherwise) was slender, more like an Eastern dragon, with lacy wings that shouldn’t support itself but did.  And it was much too large to be Lockheed, who had been petrified by the Grey Goblin, along with her an the rest of Excalibur.

And yet … something about the way this demon wasn’t lashing out at her, the way it coiled so possessively but so gently around her.  “Lockheed?” she whispered, reaching out to that place in the back of her mind where her friend had always been.  Instead of the usual warm presence, she got a torrent of emotion, mostly rage, and greed.  But there was also the sense of care and concern that she always felt from her companion.  “How could this happen to you?”

“Oh, it was quite facile.”  She’d been trying to ignore the Demon Lord, but it wasn’t working very well.  “As easy as corrupting your friend Storm.  They’re both such noble creatures, but give them a reason for anger, for hate and they fall at the first mistake.”  He paused for a moment then continued.  “You were much more difficult.  A decade of grinding away at you with resentment and anger, and it still took soul-crushing despair to make you vulnerable enough to be transformed.  And even like that, you still tried to help Magik.”

“Was that meant to be a compliment?” Kitty refused to look up at him, instead staring into Lockheed’s new, violet eyes.  The more time went by, with him snuggling into her, the more she was sure that Belasco was telling the truth.  This was Lockheed, no matter how much she wished otherwise.  “If it is, I wish you’d go back to insulting me.”  Barbed slights were much easier to take from that demon.

“Not at all.  Merely an observation.  After all, last time we met I was quite distracted.  This time, you have my full attention.”  She still spurned looking him in the eye, but she could hear the gloating in his voice.  “I don’t think you’ll resist corruption nearly so long as you did last time.  I know you, after all.”

Kitty cringed and hoped he hadn’t seen.  “I’ll leave the two of you to get acquainted again.  I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on.”  With that, he vanished in a puff of smoke and left a truly unpleasant smell in his wake.

“Oh Lockheed … how are we going to escape this nightmare now?”


	4. Deal with the Devil

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RXMGuPE0Jg

Kitty woke to someone was stroking her hair while humming softly. For a few moments, Kitty enjoyed the sensation, trying to remember where she was, and who was treating her so gently. It reminded Kitty of her mom when Kitty was sick- no both her parents were dead. Had Piotr stayed the night- no they weren’t in a relationship anymore. Then who?

She opened her eyes, then tried to catapult herself off the bed. Sitting beside her was the Ruler of Limbo, in all his red infamy. Two quick glances revealed the important points to her. First, the chair she had jammed under the door handle was undisturbed, which proved there really was no way she could keep the Demon Lord out of her room. Second, that she was still under the covers while he was over them, so nothing too horrible had happened while she was asleep.

Belasco ignored her panic, waiting until she had refocused on him and her breathing had slowed down. All the while still humming and stroking her hair. “I have a proposition for you.”

“What makes you think I’d be willing to make a deal with you?”

“Lack of any other options.” He smirked at her. “Jude the Entropic Man, a delegation from Paradise, and a few rulers of Earth, including King Britain, are having a gathering in the home of Ilyana Rasputina. They’re negotiating the final details of the new afterlife that Jude is creating.” The younger woman smoothed her features into a bland mask as if to ask why she should care. If anything, it made the demon’s grin even wider. “I’ve been invited, as they seem to want to make Limbo into their new Hell. I thought you might want to take the opportunity to see your friends again.”

“And what would that cost me?”

“Just your time.” His hand went from stroking her hair to tracing the lines of her face. “A walk outside the fortress, a tour of the grounds. But you have to promise not to try to escape during the outing. This is to let you explore your new home, not let you go running to Magik.”

“That’s all?” she asked sarcastically. “You don’t want my soul perhaps?”

“Wouldn’t be quite fair now, would it? Your soul for just a chance to see your friends and know that they are alright?” He leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Besides, you’ll hand it over to me soon enough.”

Kitty mulled it over. Magik had told her a bit about the types of bargains Belasco usually struck. This one seemed fairly innocuous as these go. Nothing of her but her time (which would otherwise be left stuck in here), no parts of her she was leery of giving away, no actions to be taken or favors to be cashed in later. There were a few ways this could screw up on her, but she figured it would be worth the risk. “I’ll see them soon, right? My definition of soon.”

“You’ll see them before we take the walk. And yes, the conference is soon; the human definition of soon.”

She couldn’t think of what else to say. “Alright then.”

“Splendid!” He stood up, then pulled her to stand with him. “The conference will be in an hour. You’ll see your friends there.”

“An hour? Oh my God, why did you leave this so late? I need to get washed and dressed and-” She jerked to a stop as he held her arm with a grip of steel.

“No need to worry; I’ll just teleport us over. And as for being dressed-” He leaned down and kissed her forehead. With that, Kitty felt herself shrinking and looked down to see grey fur growing on her body. “Well, I said you could see your friends. Speaking to them is entirely different.” With that Belasco scooped up the small, grey, copper-eyed cat and made his last preparations for the summit.

* * *

“You can’t keep her forever.” Belasco turned to look at Magik. The sorceress had a look of deep scorn on her face like he was something she’d want to scrape off her shoe. “She’ll escape someday, just like I did.”

“Who?”

“You know who.” She gestured over to the table, where a little grey cat was trying to get King Britain’s attention by biting him. “Did you think I wouldn’t remember what you did to my family all those years ago? I recognized her immediately.”

“What of it?” Of course, Magik had recognized his pet, he had expected her to. Something to rub in that no matter how much her power grew, he would always be the stronger. And with the deal he had cut with Jude, the power gap would only increase in the future.

“I’m warning you right now. You think I’m a pain right now? Imagine what it will be like when we’re both gunning for you.”

“Oh my dear, you’re delusional. First of all, you have no idea what I’m capable of doing. I was holding back because you were a child and I did not want to shatter your fragile soul. Dear Katzchen is made of stronger stuff than you are.”

* * *

He stepped forward, right into her personal space. Just tall enough to still loom over her. Despite the decades since he had kidnapped her, Magik felt herself shrinking into that defenseless child again. She straightened her back and refused to look away. No matter how intimidating, she wasn’t going to give Belasco the satisfaction of seeing her fear. “And second, you know just how good I am at tempting people to give into their darker urges. How many times did you have an opportunity to escape, Little Snowflake?” Rage flowed through her at the name only Katya and her brother used. Not even Kurt, when he’d been Kurt, had called her that. “How many times did you stay because there was the possibility of me teaching just one more bit of sorcery? How many times did you hurt your friends just to stay on my good side?” He sneered at her. “And that was with Storm and Cat trying to counteract my influence. What’s going to happen to your dear Katya now that she’s all alone and with my full attention on her? You didn’t make it ten years before being corrupted, would you like to make a bet how long she’ll last?”

* * *

By this point, the other members of the conference had noticed their confrontation. He felt the heat of the Phoenix Force powering up, the hum of Tony Stark and Victor von Doom’s weapons activating. “Belasco,” intoned Jude, warning clear in his voice.

It would have been so easy to destroy them all. They may have been in Magik’s domain but all of Limbo belonged to him. He could scatter them to the winds, then pick them off one by one at his leisure. But as he turned, he spotted his little cat. She had stopped trying to grab King Britain’s attention and had seized upon the pencil and loose paper that Brian had been using to take notes.

Apparently, lack of thumbs and tongue wasn’t going to keep Shadowcat from finding some way to communicate to her allies.

“Now Brian, am I going to have to accuse you of stealing my pet?” he said, coming over and plucking the little grey cat off the table and tucking her into the crook of his elbow.

“What?”

Belasco ignored the audience’s struggle to understand. “Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we are done here. If you don’t have anything else to discuss with me, I’ll be preparing Limbo for our new arrivals. Feel free to enjoy Magik’s hospitality.” With that parting shot he teleported back to his fortress.

He looked down at the little creature in his arm. “I was going to change you right back, but I think I’ll let the transformation wear off naturally. Once that’s done we can go for the walk I promised you.”

The cat scratched deep gouges into his left forearm.

“Don’t test me,  _liebling_.”


	5. Paleblood Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspiration Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eSrmSsz7mQ

Through the grasping branches above her, Kitty could see the moon. Larger than it would be on Earth, colored a light shade of red, blood tinged. The image was slightly hazed through the clouds, but still look real enough to touch. Hypnotized, she reached up with her right hand as if to grasp it.

Kitty was abruptly brought back to reality by a hand grasping her own and pulling it down over her head. The moon itself was eclipsed by the horned shadow rising above her. “Now, now Katzchen, it’s not polite to ignore someone. Especially when that person is focused on making you feel good,  _verstanden_?” Belasco leaned forward, using his weight to pin her to the roots of the tree. “Just let the pleasure consume you.”

His tail snaked up, wrapping around her left wrist and forcing it to meet her right hand. Once there it encircled both, holding her in place and allowing the Demon Lord to leer down at her. His remaining hand slid down, through her hair, tracing her cheek down to caress the collar around her neck.

She swallowed against the abrupt dryness in her throat. “What is it … what is it you desire?”

He smiled then pressed his lips against her. He hot and heavy on top off her, oppressive. Odd though, she couldn’t smell even a whiff of brimstone. Kurt had always had a trace, and sometimes much more than that, but Belasco smelled pleasant, a mix of pine and spice. It wasn’t fair. She wanted to phase away, but each time she tried, nothing happened. He pulled back but left her panting for breath. “What use have you for a whore?”

“S _choen_ , you don’t value yourself enough. I find your presence soothing … your worth is too great. I’ll never let you go.” He continued his exploration, tearing open her blouse with a couple of swift jerks, first one side then the other. His hand idled by her waist, slipping just under the band, sliding up her navel until he was toying with her breasts.

She moaned then recoiled in horror. It was one thing to be raped, it was another to enjoy it, like a betrayal of everyone who had sacrificed to get her here, everyone who had died to get her out. Kitty pressed her lips together, determined not to let Belasco have the pleasure of her capitulation. “Oh don’t do that,  _meine liebe_. How am I to tell if you’re enjoying yourself if you won’t make a sound? I want to make this a pleasurable for you as it is for me.”

He lowered his lips to her breast and suckled greedily on it. Then he slid down, mostly just tasting her skin, but occasionally giving her a sharp nip that heightened her sense of touch. She tried to stifle her moans, but once in a while they slipped past her sealed lips, and she could feel him smile every time. Then he reached her waistband and sat up again, sliding between her spread legs.

He gripped the material with his hand and with one final rip she was bare before him. She struggled, trying to bring her legs together, but with the position they were in it was futile. The Ruler of Limbo spent a few minutes staring at her, drawing out the anticipation, but then thrust in. By this point, Kitty was so wet and aroused he entered smoothly. “Ahh! Ohh!” she moaned, unable to help herself.

For all the violence from before, he was startling gentle. Instead of hard, fast thrusts, he set a slow, grinding pace, a patient, almost exploratory encounter. But even so, she found herself moaning at each thrust, her hips rising to meet his. Time distorted for her, she didn’t know if it had only been a few moments or entire lifetimes since they started intercourse. “Oh God!” she moaned, no longer caring how loud she was.

Her orgasm left her feeling light-headed and nauseous with self-disgust. In the back of her mind, she felt something break and writhe, like snakes spilling from a chalice. The feeling was oddly liberating and rapturous, Kitty could have lost herself in it, but then she felt a sharp pain on her neck. When Belasco drew away she could see her blood on his fangs. “Back with the rest of us,  _meine susse?_ ”

He pressed another kiss to her panting mouth, slipping his tongue so deep she could taste the metallic flavor of her blood. “ _Kostlich_ , I can taste the spreading corruption burn inside you.” His tail slid down, stroking her hair then encircling her bare breast.

Suddenly aware, she tried to yank her hands down, but to her surprise, they were still bound. Arching her head to look up, she realized that more roots had sprouted, and held her wrists captive. From this position she felt the Demon Lord tangle his hand in her hair, leaving her throat exposed so he could lap at the wound on her neck again, and the red tail slip even further down to wrap around her left thigh and squeeze rhythmically. Against her will, her left leg raised and bent, to cradle her rapist more firmly against her pelvis.

As she writhed beneath him he began to move again. “You have no idea,” Another grinding thrust, pulling a moan from her treacherous lips. “How long I’ve wanted to do this to you. I can’t help myself anymore, I’m not going to be satisfied with one round,  _liebling._ ”

This was the harsher, more violent encounter she had been expecting, yet still, she found herself rising to meet him. He reached down, and his calloused palm grasped her right thigh and pushed it farther up. The change in angle felt deeper than before and she was moaning again, caught in the throes of ecstasy. She caught a glimpse of a smirk through hazy eyes as he kissed her leg just above her knee.

Her orgasm built faster this time. Her inner walls, still sensitive from the first, shivered and clenched down on the invading member. Just before she fell over the edge, she heard the Demon Lord gasp and warmth flooded her core. Then there was nothing but the stars in her eyes and pleasure running through her body.

She awoke to freed arms and a sultry, oppressive weight still holding her down. A rough hand carded through her hair, and she felt, rather than heard a rumbling voice whispering to her. It took her a moment, but she realized it was Belasco singing a German lullaby to her.

_Teufel in Holle hat an allen_   
__seine Lust, sein Wohlgefallen;_ _   
_kenne auch dich und hat dich lieb_


	6. Afterbirth

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in her bed in the tower, wrapped in Belasco’s bright red cape, but otherwise completely naked.  Kitty bit down hard until she could feel blood welling from her lip, but she stopped herself from screaming.  She wanted to burn the cloak, but she had nothing to start a fire, not even a prism to focus blood-tinged moonlight.  She settled for balling it up and throwing off the nearest balcony.

Kitty ran a bath and scrubbed herself down with the hottest water, the roughest brush (which was quite soft), the harshest soap (which wasn’t very) that she had.  She finally stopped, not when she felt clean (would she ever feel clean again?) but when her skin was in danger of tearing and leaking her impure blood all over the white marble pool.  Although given that the whole castle belonged to Belasco anyway she wondered why she even cared.  It’s not like Limbo could get any more defiled than it already was.

She got out, dried herself off and put on some yellow shoes with a floral pattern and a deep bourdeaux dress, that washed the color out of her complexion and made her look like she had dressed in old blood.  Lockheed appeared then curling around her and sniffing at her still wet hair.  From the back of her mind, she felt a sense of curiosity and a very hazy image of the moon appeared.

She couldn’t deal with this now.  Shooing the dragon away, she sat down in front of a dressing table to start combing her hair.  But when she looked in the mirror she couldn’t hold back a gasp.  She raised her hand and brought it up to the side of her head.  In the mirror, she could see her ear, long and pointed twitch in reaction.  Her eyes too had changed, the pupils becoming slit and vertical.

How?  It had taken the better part of a decade for this to happen last time.  How could she possibly have been corrupted after only a few days in Limbo?  Suddenly she remembered Belasco’s conversation with Ilyana:

> _What’s going to happen to your dear Katya now that she’s all alone and with my full attention on her?  You didn’t make it ten years before being corrupted, would you like to make a bet how long she’ll last?_

She dropped her head in her hands as if she could hide from the truth by simply not seeing it.  “It can’t be … “ she whispered to herself.  “This is a nightmare!”  Unable to cope she started crying.  Then laughing.  In time, she couldn’t tell the difference between the two.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by something @bamfsback wrote. Here’s the link: http://bamfsback.tumblr.com/post/55241664582/this-is-the-way-it-has-to-be

Belasco rarely sleeps and always alone but this time he wakes to the pressure of someone leaning down over his chest. He opens his eyes to see Kitty Pryde on top of him, hands hovering hesitantly over his throat. He smiles. “Having second thoughts,  _liebchen_?”

She sits back and starts to pull away, but his tail winds around her waist, holding her in place. “Hardly,” she derides, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at him. She seems calm but her twitching ears give her away. “I just wasn’t certain that would be enough to kill you.”

“It wouldn’t be.” Belasco is encouraged by the fact she hasn’t phased away yet. As a reward for good behavior, he’d removed the collar, but put upwards to keep her from leaving this area of Limbo. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want to be. He reached out and pulled her right hand away from her defensive position, settling it over his sternum.

“If you really want to kill me, you should go for something much more vital. Like my heart.” He holds her down, maneuvering her hand until she can feel his heartbeat under her palm.

“The feel of your hands sliding into me, cool and soft like water. The way they would grasp my heart, first gently then tighter as you got a good grip on it. The slight tug as you started to pull it away, then the silence as you phased it away from its moorings.” He slid upwards, carefully using his tail to maintain his would-be assassin’s balance as he changed position, never letting go of her hand. He watched her eyes, pupils expanding until there was only a thin rim of iris visible. She never looked up at him, seemingly fascinated by their intertwined grip, by the beating she can feel below their joined hands.

“The way my vision would slowly darken around the edges as the blood pooled futilely in my chest, leaking from useless veins and arteries. I’d probably last long enough to see you pull it free completely.” By now he’s sitting up completely, with her delicately perched on his lap. Belasco whispers those final sentences directly into her ear, lips just barely brushing the guard hairs.

“I can’t think of a better way to die. You could look me in the eye as you lift my heart to your mouth. Watch my life slip away as you. Take. That. First. Bite.”

And that is finally too much. Kitty pulls away violently, first a sharp tug, then a cool tickle as she phases off, running as fast as she can to away from him. He falls back on his bed with a laugh.

It’s all fantasy of course. Once Kitty stops and thinks about it she’ll remember that one of her first murder attempts involved stabbing him straight through the heart from behind. It’s not like removing that organ is actually going to slow him down at all.

But it is a nice fantasy none the less. Perhaps he could provoke her into acting this out one day. A grand spectacle for when she finally falls.


	8. In All My Dreams I Drown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYIioYDI2Iw

“You haven’t slept,” said Belasco, pulling his chiton down over his head.  “In quite some time. Weeks, I think.”

 

“How can you tell?”  Kitty looked out the window.  The sky was dark and turbulent but that meant nothing.  Sometimes it seemed she didn’t see the sun for months or a gigantic moon would hang in the sky until she almost forgot that it looked any different.  Other times it seemed to change too quickly, light to dark and back again every time she blinked.

 

He ignored the question.  “You need to sleep. Eternal wakefulness is not good for human minds.”

 

She placed her hand over his belt, then slid upwards, tracing the outlines of his abs beneath the blood-red fabric.  “Oh, I’ll rest soon enough. Don’t worry about it.”

 

“Hush, love.” He wasn’t quite able to ignore her distraction though.  His hand went down, unbuttoning the gown he had just dressed her in. “There’s the bed.  Lanterns down.” The hellish red light dimmed and flickered, almost like fire but a more lurid, unearthly shade.

 

“But I-”

 

He pressed her down against the bed again.  “There’s a storm brewing. It’s time to go to sleep.” he breathed into her neck, teeth skimming her pulse.  Belasco’s lone hand reached up and entangled her wrists into the sheets. His tail did the same with her ankles at the foot of the bed.  Settling in between her legs, he rocked back and forth, grinding against her sensitive parts and drawing unwilling gasps from her throat.

 

Swallowing a moan, she tried one more time to get him to relent.  “Please, my Lord,” she knew how much he loved it when she called him that.  “I’ll do anything. Any minor chores you want done. Mop the floors, warm your bed, whatever you like.  You can do whatever you want to me. Scold me, turn me into a cat again. I’ll be yours completely. The only thing I beg of you, don’t make me go to sleep.”

 

The sky flashed overhead, matching the temper in gold eyes.  “If you won’t obey by going to sleep like a good child, I’ll simply give you no choice.”  He slid down her body, trailing kisses over her breasts and stomach, the silky material of the chiton flowing over her skin like water.  His tail lashes out, stroking over her left ankle, then switching to wrap around her right calf. When she tried to go within herself, he nips sharply at her right hip, pulling her back into the present.  Then he kissed her softly, soothingly, once over the bite, then on the crease between her thigh and pelvis, another over her clit and a final one on her slit itself.

 

His head between her legs, his tongue darted between her lower lips, focused on her clit.  It was longer than any human’s, hotter too. He traced spirals on her nub and as she arched into the sensation, his finger slipped inside her.  He was, as always, curiously careful not to damage her with his talons, gently pressing against her walls with the flat, calloused pads of his fingers and not cutting her.

 

Kitty writhed and struggled but without her phasing powers she couldn’t slip away and the lack of leverage meant she couldn’t tear the sheets holding her down either.  Despite her resistance, she felt herself edging towards the brink, her core feeling like an inferno. Her thighs tightened around his head and her cunt gushed freely. As she quivered with the aftershocks, Belasco continued to lap at her spilled juices, drawing more tremors.

 

It was the last straw for her body.  Her muscles loosened and the edges of her vision were turning grey and hazy.  Kitty tried to keep her eyes open but they fell shut. “I’m begging you, please wake me up.  In all my dreams I-”

* * *

 

“The human mind is such a strange thing, isn’t it Lockheed?”

 

Belasco kept his sole hand over Kitty’s forehead, covering her eyes as well.  The little (not quite so little anymore) dragon was perched on the head board, gaze fastened to the woman sleeping below.  With the curtains drawn, the only light came from two pairs of eyes, one bright gold, the other blood red.

 

“There’s no way for dear Katzchen to know that I’m modifying her memory while she sleeps, and yet she clearly fears the call of Morpheus.”  The dragon hissed at the Demon Lord. “I’m not changing her mind, I’m just . . . removing her incentives to leave Limbo.”

  
  
  



End file.
